Production of knotted-pile fabrics



1 636,613 July 1927' F H OLDRQYD PRODUCTION OF KNOTTED FILE FABRICS Filed May 5, 1927 :s Sheets-Sheetl I 1,636,613 July 1927' F. H. OLDROYD PRODUCTION OF KNOTTED FILE FABRICS Filed May 5, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet g 1,6 6, July 1927' -F. H. OLDROYD 3 613 PRODUCTION OF KNOTTED FILE FABRICS Filed May 5, 1927 3 Sheots-Sheetli Patented July 19, 1927.

1,636,613 s mian STATES PATENTOFFICE;

FRANCIS HERBERT OLDROYD, F RADCLIFFE, ENGLAND.

PRODUCTION OF KNOTTED-PILE FABRICS.

Application filed May 5, 1927, Serial No. 189,064=, and in Great Britain October 20, 1925.

The production of knotted pile fabrics, such as knotted pile carpets and so forth by mechanical means has been partly if not wholly unsuccessful commercially owing to the difficulties met with in applying and knotting the tuft pieces to the warp threads and these difficulties have been hitherto found insurmountable in the caseof fine fabrics or carpets where the number of knots or tufts to the square inch was comparatively large.

The object of my invention is to overcome these difficulties and enable the production commercially by mechanical means, of knotted piles which may range from the coarsest pile to even liner piles than those now usually produced by hand. My invention consists in a method of operation for the mechanical knotting of the pile to the warp.

According to the said method, of the pair of warp threads to which the tuft piece is to be knotted, one warp thread is displaced into a plane other than that containing the other warp thread, gripping means is inserted in a lateral. direction between the said threads prior to gripping the tuft piece to be inserted, the first named thread is then moved out of the said plane into a second plane and the second named thread is then displaced into a plane other than the said second plane, whereupon another, independent gripping means is passed laterally between the threads prior to gripping the said tuft piece,and then the said tuft piece is gripped separately at two different places by the two gripping means and the gripping means are both withdrawn by a reverse movement from between the said pair of yarn threads and then caused to release the tuft piece.

By passing the two gripping means in different directions between the threads prior to gripping the tuft piece to be inserted, a

ghiordes knot is obtained on withdrawal of the gripping means after they have gripped the said tuft piece. By passing the two gripping means in the same direction between the threads prior to gripping the tuft piece to be inserted, a senne knot is produced on withdrawal of the gripping means after they have gripped the said tuft piece.

In practice the method is applied to a plurality of pairs of warp threads by allow ing one or more pairs of adjacent threads to remain at rest during the application of the knotted tuft to one pair or a series of separated pairs, whereby the danger of confusion of the warp threads, irrespective of how close the warp may be, is eliminated.

In the accompanying drawings Figure. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective of warp threads'as arranged in one step to form a ghiordes knot in accordance with my improved method.

Figure 2 is a similar view of the same as arranged in accordance with another step in my method.

Figure 3 is a similar View of the same showing a nearly final step in the production of a ghiordes knot.

Figure 4 is a detail perspective view of two of the warp threads and a ghiordes knot as produced by my improved method.

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic perspective of warpthreads as arranged in one step to form a senne knot in accordance with my improved method.

addition in indicating by arrows the general direction of movement of the gripping means, also showing a tuft piece 23 for the purpose of indicating the various steps or stages in the production of a knot the method is carried out by drawing the warp thread 1 of the pair 1 vertically upwards so that it assumes an angular position relative to the horizontal plane in which the warp thread pairs 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14 and 15 lie and "drawing the thread 1 vertically downwards so that it also lies at an angle to the said horizontal plane, the threads 1 and 1 being then in the positions shown in Figure 1. The first of two gripping means before gripping the tuft piece to be inserted is then passed between the threads 1 and 1 in a horizontal or inclined lateral manner, in the direction indicated by the arrow 17, so that it lies across but beneath the thread 1 and while the first gripping means remains stationary the thread '1 is then vertically lowered so that it passes through the said horizontal plane to again assume an angle thereto at the lower side thereof and the thread 1" is vertically raised so that it passes through the said horizontal plane to again assume an angle at the upper side thereof, the threads 1 and 1 then being in the positions shown in Figure 2. The second of the gripping means, before gripping the said tuft piece, is now passed between the threads 1 and 1 111 a horizontal or nclined manner in the direction indicated by the arrow 18 which direction is divergent from the direction of movement of the first gripping means so that the second gripping means lies across but beneath the thread 1". The threads 1 and 1 are then both moved into the said horizontal plane, see Figure 3. It is only now that the tuft piece to be inserted is, while in a straight condition, ripped at one between the said threads, substantially asindieated by the arrows shown in Figure 3. The middle portion of the tuft piece however lies on the threads 1 and 1 and therefore remains above them. Thus the tuft piece 23 forms a ghiordes knot onthe said thread as shown in Figure 4.

The pairs 2 to 5 of threads are dealt with successively in the hercinbefore described manner.

Referring now to liigures 5 ,to 8, in which arrows are again shown to indicate the gen eral direction of ll'lOVOIUCHi; of the gripping means and a tuft piccc'2" is shown for the purpose of indicating the various stages or steps in the production of a knot, if it is desired to produce a senne knot, the thread 1 is raised and the thread 1" is lowered whereupon the first gripping means, prior to gripping the tuft piece to be inserted, passed between them in the direction indicated by the arrow 24- of Figure 5. The thread 1 is now lowered and the thread 1" raised, whereupon the second gripping means, prior to gripping the tuft piece to be inserted, is passed between the said threads in the direction indicated by the arrow 21 of Figureti, while the first gripping means remains stationary. The threads 1 and 1 are finally returned to their normal positions, Figure 7, and the gripping means after gripping a tuftpiece 23 at places near the ends of the said piece, and perform a return. movement which withdraws them froIn-the shed as indicated by the arrows 22 and 23 of Figure 7 and thereby attach the tuft to the threads 1 and 1 by a senne knot as shown in Fig. 8.

The adjacent pair2 or any number of adjacent pairs according to the number of warp threads to the inch, for example the pairs 2, 8, 4:, and 5 are allowed to remain stationary whereby all possibility of the gripping means acting on or fouling them is obviated.

As indicated a series of pairs of threads, separated by one or more'pairs of momentarily stationary or dormant threads, for example the pairs 1, 6, 11, and 16 separated by the pairs 2 to 5, 7 to 10, and 12 to 15, may be dealt with by the hereinbefore described method, either successively by the same pair of gripping means or simultaneously by a plurality of pairs of gripping means.

I claim 1. A method of operation for the mechanical knotting of the pile of knotted pile fabrics, wherein, of the pair of warp threads to which the tuft piece is to be knotted, one

warp thread is displaced into a plane other than that containing the other warp thread, gripping means is inserted in a lateral direction between the said threads prior to gripping the tuft piece to be inserted, the first named thread is then moved out of the said plane intov a second plane and the second named thread is then displaced into a plane other than the said second plane, whereupon another, independent gripping means is passed laterally between the threads prior to grippingthe tuft piece to be inserted and finally the tuftpiece is gripped separately at two different places by the two gripping means and the gripping means are both withdrawn by return movement from between the said pair of yarn threads and then caused to release the tuft piece.

2. method according to claim 1 wherein the two gripping means are passed in diiferent directions between the threads, whereby a ghiordes knot is obtained.

A method according to claim 1 wherein the two gripping means are passed in the required direction between the threads, to produce a desired knot. v

4:. A method according toclaini 1. applied to a plurality of pairs of warp threads by allowing one or more pairs of adjacent threads to remain at rest during the application of the knotted tuft to one pair or a series of separated pairs for the purpose of avoiding the danger of confusion of the warp threads irrespective of how close the warp threads may be to one another.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification at Manchester, in the county of Lancaster, England, this 22nd day of April, 1927.

FRANCIS HERBERT OLDROYD. 

